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Just watched a Nova on solar power and I have a question the show didn't explain. Sunlight hits the panels separating electrons from silica nuclei and the electrons flow producing the electricity, but how do the electrons lost by the silica get replaced?
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When they return. It's a circuit and they circulate.
Did you sleep much in your schooltime ?
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven Weinberg -
so the electrons flow to the building and back to the silica nuclei which then grabs them? We didn't deal with silica solar panels in school
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Well, batteries, generators etc uses excatly the same principle - they just have different ways to loosen the electrons
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven WeinbergComment
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I don't think the electrons really leave the silica atoms, instead they move to a higher state then back to their former state, generating an electromagnetic field which is passed down the wire."I say shoot'em all and let God sort it out in the end!Comment
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Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
I don't think the electrons really leave the silica atoms, instead they move to a higher state then back to their former state, generating an electromagnetic field which is passed down the wire.
Very interesting theory. Exactly witch parallel universe do you live in and how do you travel between yours and ours ?
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven WeinbergComment
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well, a car battery needs recharging via generator/alternator whereas these solar panels dont appear to be recharged by anything. The sunlight releases electrons from one layer with excess electrons thru the circuit to the other layer in need of electrons, but how do electrons "refill" the layer with the excess? I'm admittedly ignorant about much of this, by I am an investor
It seems to me that if one layer trying to give up electrons succeeds and the other layer looking to gain electrons succeeds, both layers become stable, true? How do we keep the instability required for electricity to flow?Comment
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Keep hitting them with photons.Originally posted by Berzerker
It seems to me that if one layer trying to give up electrons succeeds and the other layer looking to gain electrons succeeds, both layers become stable, true? How do we keep the instability required for electricity to flow?Comment
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That is why you need a circuit. If you don't have that, you just have a bunch of electrons in one end and a lack of them in the other end.Originally posted by Berzerker
well, a car battery needs recharging via generator/alternator whereas these solar panels dont appear to be recharged by anything. The sunlight releases electrons from one layer with excess electrons thru the circuit to the other layer in need of electrons, but how do electrons "refill" the layer with the excess? I'm admittedly ignorant about much of this, by I am an investor
It seems to me that if one layer trying to give up electrons succeeds and the other layer looking to gain electrons succeeds, both layers become stable, true? How do we keep the instability required for electricity to flow?
The instability you ask for is actually provided by the sun.With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven WeinbergComment
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circuits
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Keep hitting them with photons.Okay, I saw that in the docu, the photons separate electrons from the silica so they're free to move. They travel thru the circuit to another layer of silica which can either take or give electrons (in this case, taking electrons). But once that 2nd layer becomes satisfied and cant take any more, how do we maintain the differential? Dont we have to separate the electrons being absorbed by the 2nd layer to make room for more? And does this mean the 1st layer which loses electrons due to photon bombardment, needs replenishment?The instability you ask for is actually provided by the sun.Comment
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It is the circuit concept that is getting you, Berz.
All the electrons are flowing around in a circle. Actually, the individual electrons don't travel very far before bumping into another atom (exciting the resident electrons and setting another one loose).
In the end, there is an equal flow of electrons returning to the solar panel. No new electrons are created or sucked in somewhere else. Matter and energy are conserved, and all is right with the universe.Long live the Dead Threads!!Comment
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Originally posted by BlackCat
Very interesting theory. Exactly witch parallel universe do you live in and how do you travel between yours and ours ?
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This is where the difference is.Originally posted by Berzerker
Okay, I saw that in the docu, the photons separate electrons from the silica so they're free to move. They travel thru the circuit to another layer of silica which can either take or give electrons (in this case, taking electrons). But once that 2nd layer becomes satisfied and cant take any more, how do we maintain the differential?
The p-type is not "satisfied" with the electrons the photons "knock" over... it "wants" to get rid of them as much as the n-type "wants" them back to fill in the "hole" that's been created.
The reason this happens through the circuit, and not through the p-n junction, is that the p-n junction is a diode. Like a one-way street for electrons.Comment
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simply put, one wire in, one wire out.
It's called a circuit as has been pointed out. No electrons are consumed in the process. The net energy is coming from the sun, not the electrons. The electrons just do cool things like play video games, form magnetic fields that power motors etc.
I missed the nova program. Actually it's on right now. I'm watching the last 10 minutes. Back in the day I was taught cells create DC electricity, is this still the case? In this case you have losses when you change it to AC power.
On CNN news earlier today they talked about the solar plant newly constructed in Las Vegas. We don't use cells, but instead magnify the light. They mentioned something about mineral oil, I'll have to look that up. Others just heat water to turn turbines to create AC power etc.
And in some cases there may not be a complete circuit all the way to your computer. They use coils to create magnetic fields and transfer that energy accross empty space essentually into another coil of wires. Although it's still a complete circuit, just not in the way you imagine (all the way to your computer etc). These transformers are needed in a variety of applications mainly increasing/decreasing voltage.Comment
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